Cause Be the Carrier
by striker
Summary: (Book one of the Redemption series.) On vacation in Florida the team is approached by Hunk. Wanting to help, he tells them about an Umbrella lab in the Keys. Question is, can they trust him?
1. Sea Swell

            Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does. The only thing I do own is this story.

Cause Be the Carrier 

(Book one of the Redemption series)

Chapter One- Sea Swell 

By: Striker

Barry sat at the controls of a pontoon boat, a white Captain's hat on his head. He scratched his thick, red beard and surveyed the Florida coastline. He took a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air. Everything was quiet except for the sound of the waves gently lapping at the sides of the boat and the occasional squawk of seagulls. He felt almost at home on the high sea. Suddenly a familiar voice snapped him out of his daze.

"Yo Popeye, turn on the radio." Leon said. He was sitting in the seat across from Barry wearing a pair of dark green swim trunks.

"I'm not going to turn on the radio." Barry replied.

"Why not." Leon said. "It's too quiet."

Barry turned to Leon. "I'm not going to turn it on because the same thing will happen that happens every time. All of you are going to argue over what station to listen to until I turn it off."

Leon groaned and sat back in his seat. "Damn I'm bored."

"You know you didn't have to come out here with us." Jill said. She was laying on her back at the back of the boat. She had on a black bikini and dark shades over her eyes. "You could have gone with the others."

Rebecca lay on her stomach next to Jill in a red bikini. She was reading one of her romance books. "I wish I could be one of the women in these books."

"What, so you can have some guy with blond hair and a waxed chest appear at your window with the sole intent of ripping off your clothes so he can have sex with you in a field and leave?" Jill asked.

"No." Rebecca said. "So I can be wooed by some dashing hunk with a sexy accent."

"Same thing." Jill said.

"Hey, at least you have a boyfriend." Rebecca shot back.

Leon looked around. "Speaking of which, where are Chris and Claire? They said they were going boating with us."

His question was answered by the sounds of engines approaching the boat. Two green and blue wave runners shot pasted the boat and zoomed off before circling around and coming back. One of the riders was a young man in a dark blue life vest. The other rider was a young woman in a red life vest with a ponytail that bounced as she cut through the waves.

"Can't those two stay still for one second." Barry grumbled.

"You know Chris and his sister." Jill said. "They always have to be moving. The faster the better."

The wave runners stopped alongside the boat. "Hey guys." Chris said. "Having fun?"

"We should be asking you that Chris." Leon said.

"Boy Leon, you look bored." Claire said. "What to go for a ride? I have room for one more."

Leon politely refused the offer. "I'm bored but not that bored."

"How about you Jill." Chris said. "You want to take a little ride with me?"

Jill sat up and lowered her shades. "No thanks. I don't consider hanging on to you for dear life fun."

"Then why don't we go for a swim?" Chris asked. "The water's not that bad."

"Yeah." Claire added. "We can have a diving contest off the back of the boat."

"Sorry guys." Barry said. "None of us are in a mood. We came to relax."

Leon pointed off into the distance. "If I want to go swimming I'll go to the beach."

Rebecca rolled over on her back. "Jill and I need to work on our tans. We don't feel like getting wet now." Jill nodded in agreement.

"Suite yourself." Claire said. She nodded to her brother and the two took off. They got a few feet from the boat when they stopped and began to talk and point back at the boat.

"What the hell are they doing?" Barry asked.

"Do you really want to know the answer?" Leon replied.

Jill got up and walked to the bow. "What are you two talking about?" She saw Chris and Claire look back at the boat grinning. "This isn't good."

The Redfields took off at full speed. When they got far enough away they turned in opposite directions and circled back to the boat, approaching at an angle.

Leon watched the wave runners barrel down on the boat. "They're not going to?"

"Going to do what?" Rebecca asked. She got up and saw Chris and Claire zooming at them. "What are they doing?"

"I think we better get covered up." Barry said. Just as the wave runners neared the boat Chris and Claire banked sharply, sending up a wave of water on either side of the boat. The waves crashed over the boat at the same time, soaking Barry, Jill, Leon, and Rebecca. Barry turned around to see the Redfields pull up to each other and give a high-five before zooming off. "That's it." Barry said. "I'm going to kill them."

"Not before the rest of us." Jill said, wiping the wet hair from her face.

Carlos, Ark, Sherry, Lott, and Lily stood on the dock waiting for the others to get back. Sherry soon saw the boat heading into the dock. As the boat pulled into its spot Carlos saw the state of the passengers. "What happened to you guys?" He asked his friends.

"Yeah, you're dripping wet." Ark said. "And so is the boat."

"The Redfields, that's what happened." Barry said.

Leon stepped off the boat and looked around. "Where are those idiots?"

Ark held up his hands. "I haven't seen them."

"I thought they were with you?" Lott asked.

"There they are." Rebecca said, pointing to the siblings as they arrived.

Chris and Claire walked up to the end of the dock laughing uncontrollably. Chris had on a pair of navy blue swim trunks while Claire was wearing a red and white-stripped bikini. As they saw their friends they laughed even harder.

"I have only one question." Barry said. "Why?"

Chris managed to stop laughing long enough to answer. "You looked hot so we thought we might cool you off." Chris exploded into laughter again.

"You should have seen the looks on your faces." Claire blurted out.

Jill began to walk towards Chris, her hands balled up into fists. "I'm going to kick you ass right here, right now." She hissed.

Chris saw the angry look on her face and began to back up. "Shit. Look Jill, we were only fooling around. Can't you take a joke?" Chris began backing into the water.

"If I was you I'd start swimming." Jill said, following him into the water.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Chris asked.

"Nothing you do can save your ass now." Jill replied. She lunged at Chris. Chris in turn turned and tried to get away. Jill pounced on his back and knocked him forward. She then proceeded to duck his head under the water. "You're going to pay for doing that."

Suddenly Chris shot his arms up and locked them around Jill's upper back. Before she could react Chris heaved up and flipped her forward over his shoulder. Jill surfaced and felt Chris wrap his arms tightly around her waist. "Never mess with me in the water." Chris said into her ear.

"Let go of me you jerk." Jill said, trying to break Chris' hold. "What you did was not funny."

"It's just a little water." Chris said. "A little water never hurt anyone."

Jill dropped her head. "But I wanted to work on my tan. You ruined it."

"You can always work on it later." Chris nuzzled closer to Jill. "Besides, Claire made me do it. If I didn't do it she said she would hurt me."

Jill knew what act Chris was pulling. Try as she might, she could never resist his charm. "That wasn't nice. You shouldn't have done it."

Chris sighed. "I know. I'm sorry I splashed you. I'll make it up to you later."

"Why can't I stay mad at you?" Jill asked.

"Does that mean you forgive me?" Chris asked.

Jill nodded. "I forgive you."

Claire watched from the dock. "That's so sweet." Suddenly Leon grabbed her from behind with a bear hug. "What the… Hey!"

"Now it's time for you to pay for what you did." Leon said. He pulled her towards Barry and Rebecca.

"Hey Leon, have I told you how much I love you?" Claire asked.

"You're not talking yourself out of this one Claire." Leon said. "That sweet talk won't work on us. Becky, get her legs."

Rebecca grabbed Claire's legs while Barry and Leon each took an arm. They carried her screaming towards the side of the dock and tossed her into the water. Claire surfaced coughing and splashing.

"That ought to teach you." Barry said.

"HEY, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? NO FOOLING AROUND IN THE WATER!" One of marina employees angrily approached the group. "You can't play in the water around here. If you want to do that go to the beach."

"Sorry sir." Ark said. "We'll be going now." The group quickly left the dock as Claire, Chris, and Jill got out of the water. As they left they could hear the man complain to himself.

"Why do these assholes come here during my shift?" The man grumbled to himself. "I swear they all wait until I'm here."

Claire moaned in delight as the jet of the hot tub massaged her body. Night had fallen and the events of the afternoon were behind her. After weeks of running and shooting she found this vacation a nice change of pace. It was early August, only several months after the team had come together. Just a week ago the team had successfully destroyed a major Umbrella facility in Nevada. Now they were in Fort Lauderdale, Florida taking an all-too needed vacation. Claire reached up her arms and stretched. "Things can't get any better than this."

"They're just about to." Leon said. He slid in next to Claire and pulled her to him. "Anyone ever tell you how hot you look it that outfit?"

"Jesus Leon, what happened to you?" Claire asked. "Before you were ready to kill me, now you look like you want to make out."

A smirk spread over Leon's face. "I already got you back for what you did. Now we're even."

Claire pushed away. "And now you want have sex? Well I'm still pissed that you threw me into the water."

"Let me make it up to you." Leon replied. He moved closer to Claire and tried to kiss her.

"Leon, please." Claire pleaded. "Someone's going to see us."

"Relax Claire, there's no one around." Leon motioned to the entire pool area. There wasn't a soul in sight. "No one is going to see us. Plus I bet we're not the first ones to make out in this tub."

"You're right." Claire said, moving closer to Leon. "It has been a couple of hours since we've been alone. And we shouldn't waste an opportunity like this."

"My thoughts exactly." Leon said. The two lovers began to softly kiss. Claire felt Leon's hands move up to the tie of her bikini top.

"Hey you two, didn't you read the signs? No making out in the pool area."

Leon looked up to see Ark, Carlos, Rebecca, and Barry smiling down at him. "Great, the peanut gallery has arrived." He muttered.

"What do you guys want?" Claire asked, a little annoyed at the intrusion.

"Just thought we'd join you guys." Carlos said. He dropped into the tub in his Hawaiian swim trunks. The others followed. Ark was in a pair of gray trunks. Rebecca had on the same bikini from before and Barry was wearing a pair of white trunks. Carlos moved beside Claire. "Damn, this sure is relaxing."

"It would be more relaxing without you guys." Claire said under her breath.

Leon threw up his hands. "With all the things you guys could possibly be doing in this city you have to come here."

"Someone has to make sure you two behave yourself." Barry said.

"So where are the little darlings?" Claire asked. "Shouldn't they be down here?"

Rebecca pointed to one of the hotel windows. "They're up in your room watching TV."

"Yeah." Ark said. "They're probably tired from all the fun they had in Miami Beach. I'll tell you this; it sure was good to spend some time with Lott and his sister. The last few weeks have been hectic."

Leon nodded. "After the last place we visited we needed this break."

"One Tyrant is bad enough, but three is too much." Claire said.

"Good thing there was that tank of liquid nitrogen nearby." Carlos said. "We put those bastards on ice."

Barry chuckled. "I can still remember what Chris said before we shot them."

Rebecca giggled. "Hasta la vista baby. That guy has seen T2 too many times."

"At least those Tyrants weren't going to get up from that." Ark said. "We sure have been through hell, haven't we?"

"Remember when we got together?" Carlos asked. "That was awkward."

"I wasn't sure if I could trust any of you guys." Leon said. "Those first couple of days was rough."

Ark smacked Leon in the arm. "What about me? I didn't know anyone. I felt like the odd man out."

Rebecca giggled. "Well Claire and Leon sure were happy to see each other."

Claire gave Rebecca a funny look. "Of coarse we were. We went through a lot together. And I was also happy to see Sherry again. I missed her so much." 

"She missed you." Leon said. "You were the only person she talked about."

"You two sure got really close really fast." Barry said. "How many weeks was it before you two were involved?"

"We both went through some tough times and we supported each other." Leon said. "From there our relationship got deeper."

"We're not the only two who got together." Claire said. "What about Jill and my brother?"

Carlos grinned and nodded. "I remember when they saw each other. It was like watching two people who haven't have seen each other since high school. They were laughing and crying and hugging. Kind of scene that made you all warm and fuzzy inside."

"Well they were close while they were in the S.T.A.R.S. and after the Spencer mess they got a hell of a lot closer." Barry said.

Rebecca looked around. "Speaking of those two, where are they?"

"Probably making out under the pier." Carlos replied.

"I wouldn't put it past them." Claire said.

The group continued to talk about what they had done and what they were planning on doing the next day.

Chris and Jill strolled along the boardwalk overlooking the beach. The sky was clear with the stairs sparkling like diamonds and the moon casting its light over the calm water. The waves gently crashed into the sand, making a rhythmic sound. The couple stopped at the beginning of the pier and looked into each other's eyes. The warm summer breeze blew Jill's long, auburn hair behind her. She looked dazzling in her light pink short-sleeve shirt and kaki pants. Chris himself looked dashing in his beige cargo shorts and gray short-sleeve shirt. The continued to stare at each other until Chris broke the silence.

"You look so beautiful tonight." He said.

Jill blushed. "You saw that every night."

Chris took her hands in his. "I especially mean it tonight. It's been so long since we had time like this to ourselves. We should try to make it count."

"After Umbrella's gone we can have all the time to ourselves that we want." Jill said. She leaned in and kissed him.

"I can tell you really are a good thief." Chris said.

"What do you say that?" Jill asked skeptically.

"Because you stole my heart." Chris replied, kissing Jill.

Jill wrapped her arms around Chris. "Where did you learn so to sweet-talk so well?"

"I've done my homework." Chris said. "First day I met you I knew you were the one. No matter how much I tried I could help but fall in love with you."

"I couldn't resist either." Jill said. "Whenever anyone brought us up I tried to deny that I was in love with you. I guess I was just lying to myself."

"I never knew how much I really cared about you until we were separated." Chris said. "You were the only person I thought of."

Jill smiled and laid her head on Chris' shoulder. "I remember how happy I was when I saw you again. After all that searching I finally found you again. I hope we never have to be apart again."

"We won't." Chris replied. "It sure is a perfect night. What do you feel like doing?"

Jill looked at Chris with a mischievous grin on her face. "What don't we do it?"

"Do what?" Chris asked.

"You know." Jill said. "It."

Chris shook his head. "No I don't."

"Make out under the pier." Jill said. "There's no one around. It'll be fun."

"I'm not sure we should do that." Chris said. "We may get caught. Besides, it's a little weird."

"Oh come on. Haven't you ever dreamed of making love under the pier one a moonlit night like this?" Jill asked.

Chris gave her a funny look. "You've been reading Becky's books, haven't you?"

Jill cast her eyes down at the pier. "Maybe one or two of them."

"Tell you what." Chris said. "How about we finish our walk and when we get back to the hotel if no one is up we can take a swim together."

Jill turned her gaze back to Chris' face. "Sounds good." She kissed him again. "Let's get going."

"Excuse me." A man said, emerging from the shadows. "Are you Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine?"

"Get behind me Jill." Chris said, stepping in front of his girlfriend. "Who are you, how do you know us, and what do you want?" Chris felt uneasy talking to this man without his gun.

The man stepped into the light. He was well built with cropped, brown hair and a faint beard. He was dressed in dark clothing, probably for the purpose of stealth. His brown eyes regarded the people in front of him with a sense of purpose. "First, I've been following your movements. Second, my name is Hunk. And third, I have some information about Umbrella. I want to help you."

Author's Comments: Looks like our heroes' vacation is going to be cut a little short. Well, I'm at it again. This time things are going to be very interesting. Well, we know what two relationships are. Chris and Jill are together, as are Claire and Leon. The kids are also with the group. While this story started out with a little humor and some romance, the mood will soon change. By the way, I got the idea for the opening scene while I was boating with my one friend. Funny huh? Well, on with the show.

In the next chapter we find out what Hunk as to say. What important information does he have? What are his reasons for wanting to help the team? And most important of all, can the group trust him? Find out in Cause Be the Carrier: Chapter Two- My Name Is Hunk.


	2. My Name Is Hunk

            Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does. The only thing I do own is this story.

Cause Be the Carrier 

(Book one of the Redemption series)

Chapter Two- My Name Is Hunk 

By: Striker

The group was assembled in the deserted lobby of the hotel. With Chris and Jill arriving with Hunk the rest had changed into dry clothes. While they were changing Chris had arranged the chairs in a rough circle. Now everyone's attention was on Hunk.

"So just who the hell are you anyway?" Barry asked.

"My name is Hunk." Hunk said. "I have no real name. I'm one of Umbrella's best agents. I was also involved in what happened in Raccoon City. I'm sure Claire and Leon know how the virus was spread."

Claire nodded. "Annette told me. A few days before I arrived several men from Umbrella tried to get the G-virus. William Birkin was shot and the virus was taken. Birkin injected himself with the G-virus to stay alive. He ended up turning into a monster and killed Umbrella's men. During the fight the vials of virus were broken and rats carried the virus into the city."

"That's correct." Hunk said. "There is only one small problem with your story. One of the vials of G-virus remained intact. I was responsible for retrieving the virus. In fact, I was the man in charge of the whole operation. In part I am to blame for the outbreak of Raccoon City."

"So why are you here?" Ark asked.

"I was picked to hunt you down." Hunk replied. "For the past few months I've been tracking you. However, that's not the real reason I'm here now. I'm no longer with Umbrella. I few days ago I stopped reporting to my superiors. By now Umbrella must have figured out what I plan on doing."

"So why are you helping us?" Leon asked. "You have to know that Umbrella will try to kill you for betraying them."

Hunk closed his eyes. "Sometimes a man's conscience can be him worst enemy. I could have avoided the infection of Raccoon City. I was the one that went into Birkin's lab. My partner was a rookie. It was he who pulled the trigger. If only I had gone in myself none of what happened would have." Hunk opened his eyes and looked at each member of the group. "Also, if I had left the G-virus Umbrella wouldn't have been able to conduct their new experiments. Because of my actions not only was Raccoon City destroyed but also Umbrella has been able to create new weapons. I want to make up for what I've done. It's the only way I can deal with my guilt. Before I came here I made a promise that I would not help Umbrella hurt any more people. I hope you can trust me."

"What kind of information do you have for us?" Chris asked.

"I know of an Umbrella facility close by." Hunk replied. "It's located in the Southern part of this state."

Leon groaned. "There goes our vacation."

Barry turned to Leon. "You said you were bored."

Leon gave Barry a nasty look. "Shut up old man."

"Make me rookie." Barry shot back.

Jill ignored the squabbling men. "So where is this facility?"

"It's located on a small island off the Florida Keys." Hunk said. "It's a very important facility. I have the plans to it in my room. I can get you inside the facility. I can also show you where to go."

"We'll have to talk this over." Chris said. "Do you mind waiting while we discuss this?"

"Not at all." Hunk replied.

The group got up and moved to the other side of the lobby. They got into a huddle and started to talk quietly among themselves.

"Can we really trust this guy?" Carlos asked.

"He did say he was sent to kill us." Rebecca added. "I have a funny feeling about this."

Barry scratched his beard. "This could be a ploy to take us out. For all we know he could be leading us into a trap."

Claire looked over to Hunk, who was looking around the room. "I don't know, he really sounded like he was guilty for what he did. And if he was here to kill us he would have done so by now."

"Claire's right." Jill said. "Chris and I didn't even know he was watching us. He could have killed both of us right then and there."

"I say we take a chance and trust him." Chris said. "I just have this feeling that he's telling the truth."

"I hope you're right." Leon said.

"Fine, we'll believe him." Barry said.

Chris looked at his friends. "Do we all agree with this?" Everyone nodded. Chris left the huddle and walked back over to Hunk. "Tell us everything you know about the place."

Hunk stood up and looked around the lobby. "I think it would be safer if we talked more in my room. What I have to say is too important to discuss in the open. I'm also worried that someone from Umbrella may be watching us right now."

"Where are you staying?" Rebecca asked.

"Here." Hunk said. "Like I said before, I've been tracking you. I got a room on the same floor as yours. I thought it would be easier to watch you if I was right next to you." Hunk walked towards the elevator. The rest of the group looked at each other before following.

"So what's so damn important that you couldn't tell us in the lobby?" Barry asked.

"Could you close the door?" Hunk asked. Carlos shut the door and locked it. "Thank you. The facility in the Keys is important because Umbrella is developing a new virus there. Its name is the Z-virus. From what I heard it's supposed to be more powerful than the G-virus. If you want to deal Umbrella a major blow then you want to destroy the virus before it is complete."

Chris covered his face with his right hand. "Great, another virus. How many damn bugs does Umbrella have to create?"

"So how are we going to get into this place?" Claire asked.

Hunk walked over to a bag lying next to his bag and produced a map. He spread it on his bed and began to point around the perimeter. "There's a bridge on the western end of the island that runs from the facility to the main road. That is heavily guarded so we can't enter there. On the eastern end the island slopes down to a small beachhead. There is a small dock built there. That area is guarded by armed patrols. The northern end is a cliff that houses a door that leads into an underground docking area. That is where most of the supplies are offloaded."

"Can we get in through there?" Ark asked.

Hunk shook his head. "The only way to open the door is with a special remote on the ship or by radioing the people inside the facility and having them open the door for you. That is only if you pass clearance. I've seen ships go through. The rock is at least ten to fifteen feet thick, not to mention the steel behind it."

Jill pointed to the southern end of the island. "What about this end?"

"The cliffs to the south are pretty much unguarded." Hunk replied. "That's the most reasonable way to get into the facility. Only problem is that the cliffs are a sheer drop. It will be a vertical accent. That's why they're unguarded. Umbrella doesn't expect anyone to scale them."

"Then that's how we'll go in." Chris said.

"What about the children?" Claire asked.

"We'll worry about that tomorrow." Chris replied. "For now I think we should turn in. We have a lot to do tomorrow morning."

The team began to leave the room. Jill waited until she was alone with Hunk. "Hey, you didn't happen to hear what Chris and I were talking about with the pier?"

"What pier?" Hunk asked.

Jill smiled and left the room.

Chris lay on his stomach, his right hand hanging over the edge of the bed. Slowly the door to their room opened, sending a rectangle of light over the floor. A man dressed in black and wearing a black sky mask stood in the doorway. He raised his rifle and switched on the laser sight. A small, red dot moved up Chris' back to the base of his skull. The man began to squeeze the trigger when the door to the bathroom opened. Jill exited dressing only in a long nightshirt and carrying a glass of water. She saw the man and froze, dropping the glass.

"CHRIS!" She screamed.

Chris shot up and saw the man standing in the door. The man looked surprised, like he didn't expect to find Chris or Jill in the room. He took aim at Jill. Suddenly he jerked twice and fell forward. Hunk stood behind the man dressed in his pants and undershirt holding a silenced pistol. Chris switched on the lamp next to the bed and stared down at the dead man. "What the hell just happened?"

By this time the others had come running to see what happened. Claire saw the body lying on the floor. "What's going on? Who's that?"

"An Umbrella agent." Hunk replied.

"Great, so now Umbrella knows we're here and sent someone to kill us." Leon said.

Carlos looked down the halls. Several other people had begun to come out of their rooms to see what was going on. Carlos entered the room and closed the door. "There may be more of them."

"I better go get Sherry." Claire said, running from the room.

Ark started to leave too. "I better get Lott and Lily."

"He wasn't sent to kill you." Hunk said. "This man was sent to kill me. Looks like Umbrella have figured out that I switched sides."

"That would explain why the guy was surprised to see us." Jill said, still shaken by the experience. "He was expecting you to be in this room."

Barry saw the gun in Hunk's hand. "I can safely assume that you killed him."

Hunk nodded. "I was expecting Umbrella to make a move. When I heard Jill scream I knew Umbrella's assassin was here."

"This is just what we need." Barry said. "What time is it?"

Chris looked at the clock next to the bed. "6:45."

"No use going back to bed." Barry said. "I doubt any of us will get any sleep. He better get rid of this body before people start asking questions."

Carlos and Leon lifted up the dead man and carried him out of the room. Jill walked over to Chris and hugged him. "That was too close Chris." She whispered.

Chris held Jill in his arms and turned to Hunk. "Thanks. We own you one."

Hunk smiled and waved his hand. "It was nothing. Like I said, I'm here to help you."

"So what are we going to do now?" Rebecca asked.

"We better start moving, and fast." Chris said. "If Umbrella knows that Hunk's here, then it's only a matter of time before they find us."

Jill stared out the window of the hotel as people hurried past on the street outside. It was around ten in the morning. Claire walked up next to her. "So much for a quiet vacation." Claire sighed.

"If there's one thing I've learned is that with Umbrella there's never a dull moment." Jill said. "How did Sherry take the news?"

"Rather well." Claire said. "She took it better than I did. Sometimes I'm amazed by how well she deals with this. Girls her age shouldn't even have to think about going through this. I just hope she isn't permanently scared from this."

"I hope none of us are." Jill said.

Chris walked over to the others from the front desk. "I told the desk clerk that we're leaving tomorrow afternoon. Barry, what about the plane tickets?"

"I got us all a flight out of here tomorrow night." Barry said. "Flight goes to Erie, Pennsylvania. If we have to we can easily cross into Canada. I also want to check on Kathy and the girls."

"Good job." Chris said. "What about our friend?"

"We dumped him in an alley several blocks from here." Leon said.

"We covered him with some garbage." Carlos added. "He shouldn't be found until we're out of here."

Chris nodded. "We'll need some supplies. We mostly need guns and medical supplies."

"I brought some weapons of my own." Hunk said. "They may not be a lot, but it's better than nothing."

"What do you have?" Barry asked.

"Two shotguns, a MP5, a magnum, three Glocks, a few grenades, and some clips for each." Hunk replied. "I also brought some flashlights, rope, and other stuff."

"We'll probably be able to get more once we get in the facility." Barry said. "For now we should try to get some more ammo and a few more guns."

"Carlos, Rebecca, and I will go." Leon said.

"I'm going too." Claire said, joining the group.

Sherry tugged on Claire's sleeve. "Can I go too?"

Claire smiled at the girl. "Sure, you can help me go shopping."

"Make it fast." Chris said. "I want to be out of here by noon." Chris watched his friends leave the hotel.

"I better get my stuff." Hunk said. He got in the elevator and pushed the button for the floor his room was on.

Barry sat down and cupped his face in his hands. Chris and Jill sat down next to him. "Worried about your family?" Jill asked. Barry's family was always a touchy subject at best. Usually the group tried to avoid it.

Barry looked up at his old partners. "Yeah, I am. It's just that Kathy and the girls shouldn't even be involved in this. None of our families should be. The only reason I helped Wesker was because I thought they were in danger. God, I don't think I'll ever be able to make up for what I've done to you."

"You're not the only one here who feels sorry for things they've done." Chris said. "Look at me. I should never have left Raccoon City and left Jill alone. Maybe if I were there she never would have gotten infected. And it's my fault that my sister is here. If only I had told her what I was doing she never would have coming looking for me and gotten involved with this mess. I wish I never left Raccoon."

"I wish you two would stop beating yourselves up over this." Jill said. "As far as I'm concerned you've both made up for your mistakes. Barry, I wouldn't be alive if you didn't come and rescue me. And Chris, if you were in Raccoon you could have gotten infected instead of me. As for your sister, Claire would be dead if you didn't go and save her. We've all done things we wish we didn't do. Moaning about them won't get you anywhere. Hell, I wish that I didn't stay behind in Raccoon. I wish I went with Chris. However, I don't dwell on it. At least we're all together and that's what counts."

"I guess you're right." Chris said. "I shouldn't keep thinking about what I've done."

Jill slapped him on the leg. "Damn sure I'm right."

Barry laughed. "If it's one thing I love about you it's how you can make other people feel better."

"Thanks Barry." Jill replied with a smile.

"Do you really have to go?" Lott asked Ark.

"Yeah, I thought we were on a vacation?" Lily added.

Ark hung his head and sighed. "I'm sorry guys, but this just came up. I promise that this won't take long. All we have to do is take care of a little business and everything will be all right."

Lily frowned. "But I thought we were going to the zoo tomorrow?"

"Tell you what." Ark said. "Maybe when we get to Erie we can take a drive to Niagara Falls. I've been there before; you'll love the place. I think they still have boat rides that go under the falls. It'll be fun."

"Are you going to come back?" Lott asked. He had always asked Ark this question every time the team attacked an Umbrella lab.

"No matter what happens I will come back for you." Ark said. "I promise."

Author's Comments: I've said it once and I'll say it again, so much for the team's vacation. Looks like Hunk is feeling a little guilty for Raccoon's demise. And the team was a little reluctant to trust him. Hey, can you blame them? Hey, at least he saved Chris and Jill. Well, now we know where the team is going and what they have to do. Only question is can they do it? One side note, about the boat rides under Niagara Falls. My aunt showed me pictures of her taking one of those rides. I'm not sure if they do that anymore, but I'm sure it would be cool to take a ride under the falls.

Time to do a little shopping. Claire, Leon, and the others are hunting for supplies, but the arrival of some very unsavory characters may make things complicated. That and the question of how the team is getting to the facility will make things very interesting. This and more in Cause Be the Carrier: Chapter Three- Accent Into Danger.


	3. Accent Into Danger

            Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does. The only thing I do own is this story.

Cause Be the Carrier 

(Book one of the Redemption series)

Chapter Three- Accent Into Danger 

By: Striker

The downtown section of Fort Lauderdale bustled with activities as tourists hurried along the sidewalks. Claire, Rebecca, and Sherry ran across the busy street to a small park. They sat down on a bench in front of a fountain and set down their bags.

"Let's see." Rebecca said. "We got first aid sprays, gauze pads and wraps, aspirin, morphine, snake bite kit, medical tape, ice packs, and antibacterial cream. I believe we got all we need."

"Thank God for Right Aid." Claire said. "I'm glad that they didn't ask us what this stuff was for."

"We could always say that we were going camping." Rebecca said. "Now all we have to do is wait for the guys."

Sherry tugged at Claire's red Made In Heaven jacket. "Am I coming along with you guys?"

"Not this time kid." Claire replied. "We're going to find a safe place for you to stay." Claire ruffled Sherry's long, blonde hair.

Sherry knocked Claire's hand away. "Cut it out, I'm not a little kid. I'm thirteen years old."

Claire smiled and leaned her head closed to Sherry's. "To me you still are."

Rebecca couldn't help but see how adorable the scene was. "You two sound just like a mother and daughter."

Claire turned to Rebecca. "Sometimes I feel like we are." A taxi pulled up in front of the women and Leon and Carlos got out. Leon paid the driver as Carlos removed some bags from the trunk. As the men approached Claire stood up. "So how did you two make out?"

"We managed to get some more bullets for the pistols and rifles." Leon said. "We also got two Glocks, a Remington shotgun, a .22 hunting rifle, and a Desert Eagle. We also got some more empty clips for the pistols." 

"We would have gotten something heavier, but we didn't want to arouse suspicion." Carlos said.

"How did you get these guns in the first place?" Rebecca asked.

Leon produced a card from his pocket. "It's a good thing I kept my police license. All I had to do is flash this and the man gave me what I wanted."

"We better get back to the hotel." Carlos said. "Now that I know Umbrella's agents are here I want to get out of this city as soon as I can."

Rebecca started to pick up her bags when she saw a black van and Sedan pull up. She saw the familiar Umbrella logo on the side of the van. "Guys, we have company." Rebecca said, pointing to the vehicles.

Claire saw the vehicles too. "Shit, they must have been searching for us." She looked around and spotted a motorcycle parked nearby. "I'm going to try to led them away from you guys. I'll met up with you at the hotel." She ran off towards the motorcycle.

"Claire, hold on." Leon said. He watched as Claire jumped on the bike and took off. The motorcycle's owner saw Claire zoom off and started running after her waving his hands and shouting. The Sedan pulled away and gave chase. The van stayed where it was. "We still have some problems. We better move." The group grabbed the bags and quickly walked down the street. No sooner had they begun to leave than six men got out of the van and began to pursue.

Claire weaved through the traffic, trying to loose her pursuers. The Sedan kept up with her, matching her every move. "These guys don't give up." She said to herself. She made a hard right, cutting off a taxi. The Sedan followed, clipping the taxi and busting the left headlight. Claire continued to navigate through the traffic. The other cars honked at her as she cut them off. The Sedan kept behind her, passing some cars and forcing others off the road. Claire accelerated through a red light, almost getting him by a car coming from her right. The vehicle screeched to a halt and the driver got out cursing. The Sedan zoomed through the intersection and smacked into a car coming from the opposite direction. Claire glanced back and saw the Sedan closing in. She turned her attention back to where she was going. "Oh shit." She muttered. Up ahead was a traffic jam. Looking around she saw an alley to her left. She cut sharply to the left and crossed the opposite lane, almost getting nailed by a truck. The Sedan followed her. With nothing in the way she accelerated down the alley. The Sedan also picked up speed, plowing through trashcans and other debris lined along the sides of the building. Claire reached the end of the alley and gunned the engine. She shot across the street towards another alley, causing several accidents as other drivers slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting her. The Sedan kept up, zipping past the stopped cars. Claire looked back and saw the Sedan still on her tail. "These guys don't give up." She said. She tore down the alley and crossed another street, causing more fender-benders. The Sedan kept up and began to gain on her. Claire glanced back and then back forward. She then saw her opportunity for escape. Ahead of her was an intersection of two alleys. A delivery truck was slowly backing across Claire's path. She pushed the bike and sped towards the truck. She cut around the back of the truck, narrowly squeezing through the rapidly closing opening. The driver of the Sedan hit the brakes and barely managed to avoid plowing into the truck. Claire skidded to a halt and smiled to herself as she heard the Sedan's horn honking in frustration. Claire gunned the bike and took off for the hotel.

Meanwhile Leon and the others tried to loose their pursuers in the crowded streets. As the group pressed on Rebecca kept glancing back at the Umbrella agents. The men were twenty feet behind and closing. Both Leon and Carlos looked around for someplace to duck into.

"They're getting closer." Rebecca said.

"I know." Leon said. "We have to find some place where we can take them out without causing a scene."

Sherry pointed to a nearby alley. "What about in the alley?"

Carlos saw the alley and looked back at the Umbrella agents. "Good thinking kid. We should be about to shake them in there."

The group entered the alley and broke into a run. The Umbrella agents saw their targets run into the alley. The men quickened their pace and reached the entrance. Halfway down the alley they saw Sherry on the ground holding her ankle and crying. Rebecca was crouched down next to her, trying to help Sherry get to her feet. "Get them." One of the men said.

"Hurry Sherry, get up." Rebecca pleaded.

"I can't." Sherry sobbed. "It hurts."

Rebecca looked at the approaching men with a panicked look. As soon as the Umbrella agents got to the girls the leader glared down at them. "You're coming with us."

Rebecca's expression turned from fear to a sly grin. "I don't think so."

"What?" The man asked. Suddenly Leon and Carlos erupted from the debris on either side of the alley and rushed the Umbrella men. Leon kicked one man in the groin and floored the other with a right cross to the face. Carlos chucked a bag of garbage at one of his opponents and grabbed another man, slamming the man face first into the wall. He then went after the other man, ramming his left knee into the man's gut twice and slamming his right elbow into the man's face. Leon finished off his other opponent with a gut shot before throwing the man into a dumpster. Rebecca grabbed a piece of pipe off the ground and attacked the last two men, hitting one in the face and hitting the other in the stomach and then across the back.

"Good work guys." Leon said. "Nice plan Carlos." 

Carlos smiled. "Lame duck ploy works every time."

Sherry jumped up and looked at Leon. "How was I?"

"You and Becky were great." Leon replied. "Were better get out of here. These men are going to be pissed when they get back up."

"We can take their van." Carlos said. "That way we'll have some wheels to get out of town."

The group grabbed their bags and left the alley. They quickly made their way back to the Umbrella van. "So now what are we going to do?" Rebecca asked. "Umbrella knows that we're here. They may already be waiting for us back at the hotel."

"How did they find us in the first place?" Carlos asked.

"They must have checked the registry at the hotel and found out we were checked in." Leon said. "With our luck they must have been following us the whole time. I bet they were planning to catch us and use us as bait for the others."

"Do you think Claire got away?" Sherry asked.

"I'm sure she did." Leon replied. The group reached the van and got in. "The others aren't going to like this at all." Leon muttered to himself as he drove off towards the hotel.

Chris paced nervously by the front door. It had been several hours since his friends had left. "Where could they be? They should have been back by now."

"You know this city is crowded around this time of year." Barry said. "I think you should try to be patient." 

"Yeah, well after last night I'm anxious to get the hell out of here." Chris said.

Jill walked up to Chris and slid her arm around his waist. "We're all worried that Umbrella will find us. I'm sure if Claire and the others run into any trouble they can handle it."

Ark turned to Hunk. "You think Umbrella has figured out that we're here yet?"

"I don't know." Hunk replied. "I told them I was following you, but I didn't say where you were. All I know is that it'll only be a matter of time before they start searching the city for you. If they found me they can find you."

"So, are you absolutely sure you can get us into that lab?" Barry asked Hunk.

"I can." Hunk said. "Besides, from what I've heard you guys have broken into some heavily guarded places yourselves. I remember hearing about how Claire broke into the Umbrella HQ."

Chris turned to Hunk. "And she got caught."

Hunk nodded. "But she put up one hell of a fight. Only reason she did get caught was because she ran out of bullets."

Jill continued to look out the door. She saw the Umbrella van pull up in front of the hotel. "Oh no, it's Umbrella. They found us."

The rest of the team looked over to the van. Hunk reached his hand into his bag and grabbed one of the Glocks. The side door opened up and Rebecca jumped out. Everyone sighed a breath of relief as the rest of the crew got out of the van and entered the lobby.

"For a minute we thought you were Umbrella solders." Barry said.

"Where did you get the van?" Ark asked.

"We ran into some of Umbrella's goons." Carlos replied. "We led them into an alley and kicked their asses. Then we stole their van."

Jill groaned. "I take it Umbrella knows we're here."

"Seems like it." Leon said. "They must have found out we were here when they were looking for Hunk."

"I hope they don't know about our plans to attack their lab." Barry said.

Chris noticed that Claire wasn't with the group. "Where's my sister?" He asked.

Leon ran his fingers through his hair. "She took off on a motorcycle to try and draw Umbrella's men away from us. The car that was with the van chased after her. She said she would come back here after she lost them."

"I hope she's alright." Chris said.

Just then Claire pulled up behind the van and got off the motorcycle. She ran into the lobby. "Hey, sorry I took so long. I got stuck in some traffic. I take it you all know."

Chris walked up to his sister and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Glad you managed to get away."

"Umbrella's thugs won't get me that easily." Claire said smiling slyly. "Beside, no one can catch me when I'm on a bike."

"I got just one question. How are we going to get to the island?" Carlos asked. "We can't drive up to the place and we can't fly in."

"We'll have to go by boat." Chris said. "Only question is where can we get one."

"We also have to find a place to drop the kids off." Ark added.

"I know where we can go." Leon said. "One of my old friends owns a small marina a few miles south of here. I can take you guys to him."

"Do you think your friend can watch the children?" Claire asked.

Leon nodded. "I'm sure he will."

Chris tapped Leon on the arm. "Can we trust this friend of yours?"

Leon nodded. "Sure, we go way back. I'm sure he'll help us out."

"I think it's time to move out." Barry said. "The next place Umbrella will come is here next. I don't want to be around when they arrive."

The team agreed and left the hotel. Claire got back on the bike and started it up. The rest of the team got into the van. Leon got behind the wheel and started the engine. The team pulled away from the hotel and headed for the marina.

It was almost five by the time the team reached their destination. Leon pulled up in front of a small marina. He got out and walked up to the main building. He knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and a man in his late forties stepped out. He was well built for someone his age. He was bald except for the thick, black hair that ran around the sides and back of his head. He had a mustache and a rough beard. He was dressed in blue overalls and a green shirt. His brown eyes lit up when he saw Leon. "Scotty, how have you been? It's been ages since I've seen you."

"Hi Roy." Leon replied. "How had the boating business been?"

"Can't complain too much." Roy replied. "So, what brings you here? On vacation?"

"Somewhat." Leon replied. "I was, but something came up."

Roy scratched his beard. "What kind of business?"

Leon patted his friend on the shoulder. "It's a long story. Some friends and I need a boat, and we can't go anywhere else."

"Where are your friends?" Roy asked.

Leon pointed to the van. "They're waiting for me."

"Well want are you waiting for?" Roy said. "Tell em to come on in. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

"OK GUYS!" Leon yelled. "YOU CAN COME IN NOW!"

The team got out of the van and walked down to the marina. They introduced themselves to Roy. Chris gestured to Leon. "Leon says you can help us out."

"What exactly do you guys need?" Roy asked.

"We need a boat." Leon said. "The biggest, fastest, quietest one you have."

Roy scratched his beard again. "I take it this has to do with something important?"

Leon nodded. "It is."

Barry looked around nervously. "Can we talk inside? I don't think we should be in the open like this."

Roy stepped outside and gestured to the door. "Well come inside. It may be a small place, but it's comfortable." Roy watched as the team entered. He caught a glimpse of the weapons. He leaned over to Leon. "Exactly what kind of business are you involved in?"

"I'll tell you when we get inside." Leon said.

Once in the marina the team told Roy the whole story about Umbrella, starting with the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon City and continuing with Sheena, Rockfort, and Antarctica. They told him how they had evaded Umbrella's thugs and how they reunited. They finished by telling him why they were in Florida and what they were planning to do. Roy seemed to take the news fairly well. "Damn Scotty, you mean Umbrella was responsible for what happened to that town. I tell you what, you all sure got yourselves into a fine mess."

"We didn't really have a choice." Jill said. "We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So why don't you go to the authorities instead of attacking this place?" Roy asked. "Why didn't you go to the authorities in the first place?"

"No one believed us." Chris said. "Plus all the Umbrella labs we mentioned blew up. Umbrella rigs every facility with a sort of self-destruct mechanism that destroys everything. We have no hard evidence."

Rebecca pointed to Jill and Sherry. "The only real evidence we have are the antibodies in their blood, and even those can't be proven unless we have a sample of the T-virus."

"So you guys are going to try and stop Umbrella from making a new virus?" Roy asked.

"That's the plan." Leon said.

Roy hung his head. "Jesus Christ. You think you can do this by yourselves?"

"I know the layout of the plant." Hunk said. "I also brought some weapons. With luck we should be able to pull it off."

"Well if this place is in the Keys it'll take you several hours to get there." Roy said. "It'll be dark."

"That's the idea." Chris said. "It'll be easier to get in if it's dark. We'll also be able to approach the island without being spotted. So can you get a boat ready?"

Roy nodded. "I'll see what I've got." He turned to Leon. "I hope you and your friends can do this Scotty." He left to get a boat ready.

Claire turned to Leon. "Why does he call you by your middle name?"

"He never really liked Leon so he started calling me Scott." Leon replied. "I never really minded."

"We better go hide the van." Barry said. "We don't want Umbrella to know we're here."

Chris snapped his fingers. "Carlos, hide the van nearby." Carlos nodded and left. No sooner had he walked out the door than Roy came back into the room. "What do you have?" Chris asked him.

Roy pointed out to the docks. "Got just the thing for you. Follow me." Chris, Barry, and Leon followed Roy out to the docks. Several boats were tied and ready for use. He led the men to a medium sized fishing boat. It was white with blue streaks running down the sides. It kind of reminded the men of the boat in _JAWS._ The rear of the boat had a chair bolted to the floor. The bow had a plank with railing jutting out five feet. There was a large cabin in the center with seats and tables against the walls. A ladder next to the cabin's rear door led up to the bridge. The fiberglass hull shined in the sunlight. "For what you plan on doing this is the best choice. This baby has enough room for all your friends. It's fast, able to do around twenty-five, thirty knots. She's also quiet. It should serve your purpose."

"Pretty fast for a fishing boat." Barry said skeptically. "How did you get it to go that fast?"

"It used to be a yacht." Roy replied. "I remolded the whole thing for rich guys who wanted something fast to go big game fishing in. I usually charge them around a couple hundred but for you guys it's free. Just bring it back in one piece."

"We will." Leon said. "Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome." Roy said. "So when are you planning on leaving?"

"Sometime around eight when it's dark." Chris said. He felt his stomach grumble. "Damn, should have stopped for something to eat. Everyone must be hungry."

Roy motioned towards a house about twenty miles from the marina. "I'll fix you guys something to eat at my place. Can't save the world on an empty stomach."

The sky was beginning to darken as the team made final preparations to leave. The team had changed into dark colored clothing. Ark finished loading several cans of fuel and placed them next to the cabin. Rebecca was setting up some battery lanterns in the cabin while Carlos was busy setting up the other lights. The rest were loading the supplies into the boat. The children stood on the docks watching the young adults.

Claire walked up to Roy. "I have a favor to ask. Would it be possible for Sherry and the others to stay here? None of us want them involved."

"Sure thing." Roy replied. "It'll be nice to have some company. And don't worry, if Umbrella comes knocking I never saw or heard of you guys."

"Thanks." Claire said. She turned to Sherry, Lott, and Lily. "You three behave yourselves. We'll be back in the morning."

Sherry tried to hold back the tears. Every time Claire left to fight Umbrella Sherry was afraid that it would be the last time she would see her. "I will." She said, her voice cracking.

Claire saw the sadness in the girl's eyes and gave her a strong hug. "I will come back for you."

Meanwhile Ark was saying goodbye to Lott and Lily. "You take care of your sister while I'm gone, OK Lott?"

"I will." Lott replied.

"See you soon." Lily said.

"Count on it." Ark replied.

"Untie the boat." Chris called from up on the bridge. Claire and Ark untied the lines holding the boat to the dock and got in. "Take us out captain." Chris said to Barry.

"Sure thing." Barry said. He backed the boat out of its spot and motored out of the marina. "Go tell everyone to try and get some sleep." Barry said to Leon. "It's going to be a long ride."

"Aye Popeye." Leon said.

"I told you not to call me that." Barry growled.

Leon ran over to the ladder and slid down it. "Hey guys, we better get some shuteye. Last thing we want to do is pass out from exhaustion while we're running for our lives."

"Ha, ha." Carlos said. "Got any other suggestions?"

"Just that I hope none of you get seasick." Leon replied. "I hate the smell of vomit."

Roy watched as the boat disappeared from view. "Good luck guys. I hope you do this."

It was four in the morning before the boat neared its destination. Chris and Hunk were on the bridge. They had slept most of the way to the island. Hunk shut off the boat's lights and turned to Chris. "You better wake the others. We're almost there."

Chris nodded and climbed down to the deck. Barry was asleep in the fishing chair. Jill was in the cabin sleeping at one of the tables. Ark was across from her, hunched over the table. Carlos was on the other side leaning against the window. Rebecca was sitting next to him, using his shoulder like a pillow. Claire and Leon were curled up next to each other at the bow. Chris smiled to himself and gently nudged Jill. "Time to get up." 

Jill slowly sat up and rugged her eyes. "Are we there yet?" She asked groggily.

"Almost." Chris replied. "Help me wake the others. I'll get Claire and Leon."

Jill nodded and tapped Ark on the head. "Wake up pal."

Ark woke with a start and looked around. "Wha? What's wrong?"

"We're almost at the plant." Chris said, smirking.

Ark stretched and started to get up. He spotted Carlos and Rebecca still asleep. "Hey, check out our two friends. Looks like someone got comfy."

"Think we should wake them up?" Jill asked.

"We better before we wake up the others." Chris said. "Don't want everyone to start picking on them." For the last few weeks the team had noticed how close Carlos and Rebecca were getting. Though they wouldn't admit it up front, it was assumed that they had feelings for each other. The rest of the group, especially Claire and Leon, had a habit of pointing this out. This would in turn set Carlos off and start a fight. Chris didn't want to start an argument at this point in time. He tapped the pair on the shoulder. "Come on, we have to get ready."

Rebecca slowly opened her eyes and saw her friends staring at her. She jumped up, her face turning red with embarrassment. "Hey guys."

Rebecca's quick movements woke Carlos up. "What the…" He looked at his friends and straightened up. "We here?" He asked, pretending as if nothing happened.

Chris nodded. "We are. Sleep well?"

"Yeah." Rebecca said slowly. "We did."

Jill giggled. "Come on Becky, we better go wake up Barry."

Chris headed to the bow. "You two get the stuff. I'm going to get the others."

Carlos watched Chris approach his sister and give her a quick kick to her rear end. Claire squealed and shot up. Leon, startled by Claire's outburst, spring up and started looking around in a panic. Claire then jumped to her feet and started pounding Chris on the arm. Carlos shook his head and turned to Ark, who was smiling at him. "Don't say anything." Carlos said.

Ark laughed. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"Then don't think it." Carlos grabbed one of the bags and left the cabin.

The boat glided to a halt at the edge of the island. Barry took one of the flashlights and shone it against the rock wall. The cliff when straight up at a ninety degree angle, jutting out at several places. "Damn, that wall must be twenty feet up. Are you sure this is the easiest way into the plant?"

Hunk nodded. "Umbrella assumes that only someone who's insane would try to climb this cliff."

"No shit." Carlos said. "You'd have to be crazy to try to climb that."

Chris grabbed two loops of rope and slung them around his right arm. He then slung one of the shotguns around the other. "Wait here." He jumped off the boat and waded up to the rocky beach.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked him.

"What does it look like?" Chris asked. "I'm going to climb up."

"But that wall's a straight drop." Barry said. "You slip and that's it."

Chris smirked as he readied himself for the climb. "How do you think I got into Rockfort? That wall was just like this one, only taller. This will be easy, just keep some lights on me."

Claire, Jill, and Leon trained some lights on Chris as he skillfully scaled the wall. He tested each handhold before continuing up the cliff. He avoided the sections that jutted out and quickly made progress.

"Please don't fall Chris." Jill murmured to herself. "Please don't fall"

Chris reached the top of the cliff and carefully scanned the area. Seeing no one around he pulled himself up. The plant wasn't that big, only taking up three-fourths of the island. The center building was one story, but Chris figured that it went down several floors. He saw the main gate to his right and the path leading to the docks to his left disappearing behind a grove of trees. Chris looked around and saw a set of trees near the end of the cliff. He tied the ropes securely around on of the trees and tossed the loose ends over the cliff.

"I don't believe it." Leon said.

"Come on." Barry said. "We'll sent a few of us up first, get the supplies up there, and then the rest will climb up. Jill, Hunk, Carlos, get up top first and secure the area.

Jill made her way to the ropes and tied one of them around her waist. She then used the other rope to pull herself up. When she got to the top she untied the rope and tossed it back over the side. Hunk and Carlos did the same thing. Next came the bags. Barry and Leon tied them to the ropes and Jill and Carlos pulled the equipment up while Chris and Hunk kept watch. After that the others made the climb. Barry made sure the boat was anchored before he climbed up. As soon as everyone was up the group ran over to the grove and equipped themselves. Chris kept his shotgun while Jill and Leon took the other two. Claire took the rifle while Hunk got the MP5. Barry took the magnum, Carlos took the Desert Eagle, Rebecca, Chris, and Leon each took a Glock, and Ark took the last two Glocks. They then passed out the ammo and medical supplies equally amongst themselves. Hunk kept the grenades for himself.

Chris looked at the team. "Ready?"

"Let's do this." Barry said.

Author's Comments: Looks like the team is ready to go. A little climb up a cliff and the team is finally ready to take down Umbrella's base. What about the thrilling chase scene with Claire on the bike? It seems like I always have to have at least one vehicle chase scene in my action/adventure stories. Plus, our heroes have had their first run in with Umbrella. Hopefully Umbrella won't be expecting the team to attack the plant. With the speed of the boat, I'm not a boating expert so I made a logical guess. Also, I guessed on how long it would take them to get to the Keys by boat. Now on with the story.

In the next chapter the team makes their way inside. The team soon spits to cover more ground. Of coarse, things go downhill from there. We'll also meet the facility leader and some new creatures. Plus we learn more about the Z-virus. All this in Cause Be the Carrier: Chapter Four- Into Uncertainty.


	4. Into Uncertainty

            Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does. The only thing I do own is this story.

Cause Be the Carrier 

(Book one of the Redemption series)

Chapter Four- Into Uncertainty 

By: Striker

Carlos peered through the trees and scanned the perimeter. His mercenary training had taught him how to remain perfectly hidden so no one would know he was around. He saw the door that Hunk had told the team about. There were also three guards dressed in dark blue uniforms and caps that hid their faces in shadows. Carlos snuck back to the group. "There are three men guarding the door. I just saw some patrolling guards go down to the docks. We should have a few minutes to get inside."

"How are we going to get rid of the guards?" Ark asked.

"What are they wearing?" Chris asked.

"Dark clothes and hats." Carlos said. "Kind of what we have on."

Claire raised her rifle. "You want me to take them down?"

Chris shook his head. "I have another idea."

"Man, this is boring." One of the guards said. "Why did we get the graveyard shift?"

"Because that's what we get paid to do." The second guard replied."

The third guard chuckled. "What did you expect? We don't do this stuff for the glory." Suddenly a noise came from the grove. "Damn." The man muttered, pointing his machine gun at the trees.

"What the hell was that?" The second guard asked shakily.

"Maybe we're under attack." The first guard said.

The third guard shook his head. "It's just some animal." He pointed to the second guard. "Go check it out just to be sure."

The second guard nodded. "OK." He walked off towards the grove.

The first guard tapped the third guard on the shoulder. "Maybe it's those survivors that escaped yesterday morning? Maybe they're here?"

"Don't get jumpy." The third guard replied. "Just because we didn't catch those guys doesn't mean that they will be stupid enough to come here. They may not even know of this place." He watched the second guard enter the grove. "You're acting paranoid, just like the other men."

Suddenly they heard a yelp come form the grove. "I knew it, we're under attack." The first guard said, aiming his gun at the grove in a panic. Just then the second guard exited the grove, limping slightly and waving his arms franticly.

The third guard tapped the other guard on the arm. "Come on." The two men headed for their partner. As they approached the grove the other guard began to point to the trees. He turned and went back inside. The other guards followed. As soon as they disappeared into the trees the sounds of a short struggle came from the grove. The team soon exited the grove with three new guns and a key to the door.

Ark exited last. "That was easy." He said, wearing on of the guard's caps and jacket.

The group moved to the door. Hunk took the keycard and ran it through the card reader. The lock clicked and Hunk opened the door. "This is easier than I thought."

Rebecca glanced over towards the docks and saw the outline of two men. "Someone's coming."

Ark took one of the machine guns and the cardkey. "Leave this to me." The others quickly entered the base. Ark shut the door and took position.

The two patrolling guards walked up to him. One of them looked around. "Where are your partners?"

"Had to go to the head." Ark replied. "They should be back in a few minutes."

The man nodded. "OK, but next time tell them to radio in next time they leave their posts. Got it?"

Ark nodded and watched the guards walk off. As soon as they disappeared from site Ark entered the facility. "I'll tell you this," Ark said as he shut the door, "Umbrella's men are really stupid."

"So far, so good." Jill said. "All we have to do is destroy that virus and get out before anyone knows that we're here."

"The virus could be anywhere. It'll be easier if we split up." Chris said. "Jill, Barry, Hunk, and myself will search this floor. You guys head down to the second floor. Don't get caught and don't do anything stupid."

"You know us." Claire said.

"That's what I'm talking about." Chris replied with a smirk.

Hunk handed Claire a small radio. "Take this. When you find the virus call us and we'll do the same."

Claire took the radio. "Thanks."

The group split up and headed in different directions.

Two guards walked down the hallway, their boots clicking on the shiny tiles. They walked past a broom closet and continued down the corridor. After a few seconds the door to the closet opened. Jill stuck her head out and looked around. "It's clear." She emerged followed by the others.

"You know if Leon, Ark, and the others saw this they'd say something about us coming out of the closet." Chris said.

"I bet they would." Barry replied.

Hunk glanced down the hall. "There are too many people around. We need to find another way to move about."

"I think I may know a way." Chris said, looking up at the ceiling. "Come on." He led his group to another door that opened up into a small computer lab. "We can use the ventilation system to move around. We just have to find a vent that we can enter that no one will see."

Barry pointed over to a door. "We can see if there's one in there."

Chris walked over a tested the knob, finding the door locked. "Jill, do your stuff."

Jill knelt in front of the lock and took out her lock picking kit. During her years as a thief she had learned how to pick many types of locks. She had learned most of the secrets from her father, Dick Valentine. In a matter of seconds she had picked the simple lock. She stood up and opened the door. "After you."

"Good job Jill." Barry said.

The group entered the small storeroom. Metal shelves lined the walls, stacked full of paper and other office supplies. A vent cover sat in the middle of the ceiling. Jill closed the door as Chris and Hunk stacked some boxes under the vent. Chris opened the cover and climbed inside. Jill followed. Next came Barry. Hunk entered last. The team crawled through the ducts stopping to look out the other vents.

"Hey, how are you guys doing back there?" Chris asked.

"I'm fine." Hunk said. "But the view leaves much to be desired."

"Very funny." Barry said.

Jill chuckled. "I don't have that good a view either."

"Hey." Chris said. "That was a cheap shot if I ever heard one."

Hunk thought he heard something. "Quiet, I think I hear someone talking."

As the team listened they could make out the faint sound of a conversation. It was coming from the vent cover directly in front of them. Chris scrambled over to the cover and listened carefully.

"Who is it?" Jill asked, moving up behind Chris.

"Sounds like two people talking about an experiment." Chris replied. "I also hear some machines. We must be over a lab."

"Can you see how far away the people are?" Barry asked. "I have to get out of here. My legs are cramping up."

Chris pulled up the vent cover and leaned down. He was right. Below him was a medium sized lab. At the other side of the lab two scientists were discussing their work. The vent opened behind several large computer consoles. Chris dropped down out of the vent, followed by the others. The hum of machines drowned out the sound of the group hitting the floor.

Barry looked through the space between two of the consoles. "We need to move closer. I can't hear what they're saying over the noise."

Chris and Jill nodded before taking off. They moved through the room, taking refuge behind the tables and other equipment until they were in earshot. Soon they could hear what the scientists were talking about.

"Man, I wish they would give us a break." One of the scientists moaned. "We've been working on this virus for three weeks straight."

"Look, our boss wants this virus done ASAP." The other scientist said. "After what happened last week in Reno Umbrella wants this virus complete before those terrorists find out it's here."

The first scientist scratched the back of his head. "I heard that those terrorists got away yesterday. I heard that they might be coming here."

"I doubt it." The other scientist said. "I bet they probably ran. Anyway, at least we finished the virus."

"What's so special about this Z-virus?" The first scientist asked.

The second scientist gawked at his colleague. "You don't know what it does?"

The man shook his head. "They told me not to ask."

"Well, you remember what creature infected with the G-virus could do." The scientist said. "It could impregnate other creatures and multiply. However, the impregnation would only work if the DNA of the subject were similar to the G-type monster. With the Z-virus the host's DNA doesn't have to be similar to the Z-type's for it to work. Plus, I'm told that this virus makes super bio-weapons that are tougher to kill. Basically, this virus will be the most powerful weapon we have yet."

"I'm sure we'll make a lot of money out of this." The first scientist said.

"That's what the head honchos are hoping for." The second scientist said. "Come on, I'm getting some coffee before I head down to the main lab."

"Hey, why does the main lab have to be at the bottom level?" The first scientist asked. "It's a pain in the ass having to keep going up and down. I wish they would put my office down there instead of up here."

"They need to have the equipment near the water so it can cool off." The other scientist replied. "That's why the one lab in Raccoon City was built near the sewage treatment plant. This is very temperature-sensitive equipment."

The first scientist groaned. "I just hope they give us a vacation soon." The two men left the room.

"This is just great." Jill growled. "Claire told me what happened with Sherry. They make one of those Z-thingies and we're all screwed."

Barry and Hunk ran up to them. "What did you hear?" Barry asked.

"Hunk was right." Chris said. "This virus is stronger than the G-virus. We also know where the main lab is. Bottom level of the plant."

"We better radio the others." Hunk said. He took out his radio and turned it on.

Meanwhile, Claire's group had made it to the second floor. They had just hidden from a couple of guards in what looked like a locker room. Metal lockers with the names of employees ran along the side walls. A door opposite the one they had entered stood slightly ajar.

"I wonder where this door leads to?" Carlos asked. "Maybe we found the main lab?"

"There's only one way to fine out." Claire said. She pushed open the door and raised the assault she had taken from the guards outside. Carlos and Leon had taken the other two. The team moved into a large rectangular room. Cages ran along the walls while tables with straps and other equipment lay in the center. As the team looked at the cages they saw several creatures asleep. "This must be where they keep the animals that they infect with the viruses." Claire whispered, not wanting to wake up the monsters.

"No shit." Carlos whispered back.

Some of the creatures like the dogs and spiders were familiar. However, there were some new creatures too. In some of the cages were large cats. They were missing their hair and their feet were nothing but claws. Their tales were huge and looked like clubs. In other cages there were giant mantises. In others there were what looked like orangutans without hair, bulging muscles, and huge hands. Finally, there were infected pigs that were the size of bears and had huge tusks.

"These things must be new bio-weapons." Rebecca whispered. "Some of these don't look nice at all."

Leon looked at one of the cats. "Just think, this may have been someone's pet at one time."

"Why don't you reach in a pet it?" Ark remarked.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Leon said.

"We better get out of here." Rebecca said, shaking. "I don't like it here."

Carlos walked up to Rebecca and held her shoulders. "None of us want to be in here."

Claire motioned to the door. "We better move."

As the team headed for the door, one of the cats opened its eyes and saw Rebecca. It leapt to its feet and swiped at Rebecca. She in turn screamed, backing into a table and knocking several things to the floor. The sound woke the other creature, who then started to roar, howl, squeal, and shake the cages.

"Oh shit." Leon said. "This is not good."

At that time a group of four guards were walking past the holding room. They hear the commotion and stopped. One of the men picked up his radio. "This is Ben. The animals in storage room four are going haywire. One of the scientists may have spooked them, but we're going to check anyway."

"Be careful." A voice cracked back. "There may be intruders. The men guarding the south entrance have disappeared. We're sending some more men to your position."

"Got it." The guard said. He turned to the other men. "Come on, we may have company. Keep your weapons up and stay sharp." The men entered the dark holding room and saw the creatures banging the cages. "HOW'S HERE!" The man shouted over the noise.

Claire and the others were at the other end of the room hiding behind the tables. Claire, Leon, and Ark were behind one while Carlos and Rebecca were behind another. "What are we going to do?" Leon asked Claire through clenched teeth.

"We're in one hell of a mess now." Ark added.

"Try to go around them." Claire said. "I may be able to cause a distraction." She unslung her .22 rifle and began to stealthy move between the tables. The others began to follow. 

The Umbrella guards began to move down the center of the room. Claire's group moved down the right side of the room, dangerously close to the cages. As Ark passed by one of the orangutans it reached out and tried to grab him. He let out a startled yelp and backed away. The guards immediately turned towards the sound and raised their weapons. Claire popped up and took careful aim. She fired a single bullet, shooting out the lock to the cage holding one of the cats. Freed from its prison it pounced at the Umbrella guards, taking one man down. As the guards attention was turned the group made a break for it. As they ran Claire's radio sparked to life.

"Claire, this is Hunk. What is going on?"

Claire snatched the radio. "No time to explain. We've just been found and we're making a run for it." The team ran through the small room and into the hall. "We've made it…" Claire found herself cut off as she and the others found themselves looking at several guns pointed in their direction. Several gunshots from behind them and an inhuman scream signaled that the other guards had killed the cat.

"Drop your weapons or we'll shoot." One of the guards said. The team complied and was taken away.

Chris grabbed the radio from Hunk. "Claire, are you there? Claire?" It was no use. The radio was dead. "Oh no." Chris leaned against one of the tables, knowing his sister had been captured.

"This is just great." Barry said. "Half our team just got caught. You know Umbrella's goons will start looking for us now."

Chris leaned against the table, anguish all over his face. "She's been caught, they've all been caught."

Jill walked up to Chris and began to rub the back of his neck. "We'll rescue them Chris." She said, trying to consol him. She turned to the other two men. "We will rescue them, right?"

"Of coarse we will." Barry replied. "I'm not about to leave my friends out to dry. Hunk, where are the prison cells?"

"Third floor of this plant." Hunk replied. "Near the docks. You know that they will be expecting us to rescue our friends."

Chris cocked his shotgun. "Then let's not disappoint them."

Tony Fell sat in his office. He was in his mid thirties with black hair and brown eyes. For the past few months he had been in charge of this facility. He had been given the order a few days ago to finish the Z-virus as quickly as his men could. He looked over the papers that he had received stating that the virus was done. "I don't know why Umbrella is so afraid of these people. What can a handful of people possibly do to this company?" Suddenly his phone rang. He picked up the receiver. "What is it?"

"Sir, we caught some intruders." The reply came. "They're some of the people we're after."

Fell sat up in his chair. "Where are they now?"

"We have them in the cells." The man said. "We believe that they were after the virus."

"Well what else would they be here for?" Fell said. "I'm coming down. I want to welcome our guests." Fell hung up the phone and left his office.

"This is just a fine mess." Ark said, gripping the bars of the cell. "The others must be shitting bricks now."

Claire sat down on the steel bench. "So much for a simple mission." 

Leon sat down next to her. "Chris and the others will come for us. I know they won't leave us behind."

Claire leaned on Leon. "I know. That's what I'm afraid of. Those assholes are expecting my brother to rescue me."

"I'm sure Chris will go through anything they throw at him." Leon said, holding Claire. "I bet he's ready to take em down with his bare hands."

"He probably will." Claire said.

Rebecca sat against the cold stone wall huddled in a ball. Carlos sat down next to her. "Scared Becky?" Carlos asked softly.

Rebecca looked at Carlos, her eyes tearing up. "It's all my fault. If I didn't scream when that monster tried to get me the other things wouldn't have woken up and we wouldn't be in this mess. Now because of the Chris and the others will try to save us and get killed and then we'll be killed and then…"

"Calm down Becky." Carlos said in a gentle tone. "It's not your fault. That cat would have started roaring and would have woken the other animals. On top of that any of us would have reacted the same way. Don't beat yourself up."

"He's right Becky." Ark said. "I yelled when that big monkey tried to nab me. None of this is your fault."

Rebecca continued to sob. "But the others…"

"Will rescue us." Carlos said, cutting Rebecca off. "Then we'll blow up this lab and the Z-virus with it. After that we'll pick up the kids and get out of here."

"I should have been brave, like you guys." Rebecca said. "Instead I acted like a coward."

"You're not a coward." Claire said. "You joined back up with this team, remember that. You didn't have to but you did. And through all we've been through you've stayed with us. If that isn't being brave, then I don't know what is."

Rebecca shivered and pulled herself into a tighter ball. Carlos wrapped his arm around her. "Come on Becky, get off this floor. You're freezing." He helped Rebecca to her feet and continued to hold her. "Everything will be all right."

Rebecca felt a little better. "Thanks Carlos."

"Well, isn't this touching?" Everyone turned to see Fell leering at them. "You don't look that harmless to me."

"Why don't you open the door and step inside?" Claire dared.

Fell laughed. "The big, bad terrorists who have been causing this company so much trouble. I thought you wouldn't be caught this easily. Sad that Umbrella considers you a major threat."

"We should be flattered." Leon said.

"You should." Fell replied. "Because of what you've been doing my bosses have had me speed up development of this virus. They were afraid that you would find out about this place and destroy it. If you ask me the higher ups are being to paranoid."

This information enticed the group. "You mean that Umbrella is scared of us?" Ark asked.

Fell nodded. "The heads of Umbrella fear you. The fact that you've managed to survive as long as you have in addition to surviving this companies unfortunate accidents have forced this company to consider you a major threat. With each facility you destroy the more desperate Umbrella is to destroy you. That's why my bosses are so determined to eliminate that turncoat Hunk. If he joins you then this company will be in grave danger."

"News flash." Carlos said. "Hunk's with us. He's the one who told us about this facility."

"Really?" Fell was surprised by the news. "Then that will make my job so much more easier. I'll get rid of you and him at the same time." Fell turned to one of the guards. "Be ready. Their friends will come to rescue them. I want them dead." He turned back to his prisoners. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to personally check on the new virus. Goodbye." Fell left the room, leaving his captives to wait for their death.

Author's Comments: Uh oh, looks like things aren't going well for our heroes. And to think the mission started out so well. Well, now half the team is in jail and the other half is on a mission to save them. Plus, the Z-virus is fully armed and operational. (Sorry, felt compelled to throw in an ambiguous Star Wars reference in there.) Oh! The Z-virus is complete. And speaking of Star Wars references, the scene with the guards outside should be familiar to anyone who saw the films.

In the next to last chapter it's Chris, Jill, Barry, and Hunk to the rescue. Chris and his crew launch a rescue attempt to free their captured friends. And even if they can save their friends, they still have to deal with Fell and destroy the Z-virus. The heat is on in Cause Be the Carrier: Chapter Five- Under Pressure.


	5. Under Pressure

            Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does. The only thing I do own is this story.

Cause Be the Carrier 

(Book one of the Redemption series)

Chapter Five- Under Pressure 

By: Striker

"So Umbrella really is afraid of us." Claire said. "Well, that's some good news."

Leon chuckled. "Does us a lot of good now. We're behind bars."

Ark was sitting on the bench. "Then maybe we should find a way out of here. Our weapons are sitting right there." He pointed to a large chest next to the three guards. "We get out and we're set."

"Only one problem." Carlos said, still huddled next to Rebecca. "These walls are solid rock and those guards have the key. We should wait until the others get here."

Leon walked up the bars and leaned on them. "Hey, don't we each get one phone call?"

"Yeah," Claire added, "I want to order a pizza."

"I want to call my lawyer." Ark said.

One of the guards looked at the prisoners. "Shut up and sit down. You don't get anything." He replied in an annoyed tone.

"I can't believe that we have to sit here and watch over these bastards." One of the other guards said.

"Hey, we heard that." Rebecca said. "If you can't say anything nice about someone, then don't say anything at all."

The guards just snickered to each other and continued with their own conversation.

"That got us nowhere." Carlos said. "Any other ideas?"

Claire sighed and leaned against the wall. "I guess we wait."

Chris gripped his shotgun and edged towards the door to the prison block. He looked back at the others. "Ready?" They nodded, readying their weapons. They had managed to get to the prison without being detected. Chris slowly reached for the doorknob and held it tightly. He counted to three before bursting through the door. "OK, get your hands up." He commanded, catching the men off-guard.

"Chris." Claire said in delight. "It's about time you got here. These cells are freezing."

"You're welcome." Chris replied.

Jill took the keys off the guards and unlooked the cell door. "We got here as quickly as we could. There are just too many guards here."

"That's because Umbrella wants us dead." Carlos said. "The guy in charge of this place told us that Umbrella considers us a major threat to the company."

"That man would be Tony Fell." Hunk said. "I remember that he was one of the few who said that you people didn't pose that great a risk. That could be the advantage we can use to beat him."

"Where is he now?" Chris asked.

"Said he went to the main lab." Ark said. "Had to check on the Z-virus. That thing is already complete."

Jill sighed. "Great. We heard two scientists talking about the damn thing. Makes creatures just like the one Birkin turned into when he injected himself with the G-virus, only worse."

"Where are your weapons?" Barry asked.

Leon ran over to the chest and opened it. "Everything's here. All we have to do now is get to the main lab."

Claire and the others got their weapons while Barry and Hunk pushed the guards into the cell. Jill closed the door and broke the key off in the lock. Chris looked out the door. "We know where the main lab is. It's on this level. All we have to do is destroy the virus and get out of here."

"We should take a sample with us." Rebecca said. "That way we have some proof of what Umbrella is doing."

"Then we can lead the authorities back to this place and expose Umbrella." Barry added. "Good idea."

"Then let's go." Chris said. The group quickly left the cells and ran down the hall.

Leon and Claire sprinted on ahead. As they rounded a corner they came face to face with a group of eight guards. "This isn't good." Leon said.

The guards raised their weapons. "This definitely isn't good." They ducked back behind the corner as the guards opened fire. "He got a little trouble." Claire said. "There are about eight of them blocking our way."

Hunk unclipped one of the grenades from his belt. "I knew I'd need these." He popped the pin and tossed the explosive down the hall at the guards. The men tried to scramble away as the grenade went off, killing most of them and injuring the rest. The team quickly continued down the hall passed the injured solders.

"Having fun yet?" Chris called back to the others.

"And I thought that this was going to be a boring vacation." Ark replied.

Fell held up the vial containing the completed Z-virus. "At last it's done." He placed it in a protective case with several other vials and closed it. "All we have to do now is deliver this to the branch office in Miami for transport to Paris." Fell stood in the main lab of the facility. The room was large, with various pieces of high-tech equipment set against the walls. There were several tables and other machines throughout the room. Along one wall ran a row off glass tubes that would house bio-weapons. In the back of the lab was the incubation room where the virus was grown. Florescent lights illuminated the room. Fell looked around the lab. "Soon this lab will produce the next generation of bio-weapons. I may even get promoted for this."

A guard ran up to Fell. "Sir, the terrorists have escaped and are heading this way. They've already overtaken several guards. They should be here within five minutes."

"This is not good." Fell said. "Announce that the facility is under attack and give the evacuation order. Set up a perimeter in front of the door to these labs and make sure they don't get through."

"And what if they do Sir?" The guard asked.

Fell turned to a large glass cylinder against the far wall. "Then we release the Tyrant to kill them. Will not let those pests ruin our plans. In fact, let the Tyrant loose now. We can have someone lead it into the outer lab. Come, we must hurry before our enemies arrive."

Fell ran over to a consol and pushed a few buttons. The cylinder hissed as it opened. Mist poured from the cylinder as a growl came from inside. Fell and the others in the room hid as the Tyrant emerged from its tome. It looked like the other Tyrants except for its hands, which looked like giant, spiked maces. One of the scientists bolted for the door to the outer lab. The Tyrant saw the man and began to pursue him. 

As the Tyrant neared the door Fell turned to the guard. "Get some more men here pronto. In case those fools get past that monster I want some backup. Also, get the boat ready. I want to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes Sir." The guard took out his radio. "I need two squads to the main lab on the double. Use the route from the docks. Get here as soon as you can. Also give the evac order. I want all personnel out of here."

Fell turned back to the door the Tyrant had left through. "Soon our enemies will be dead and this company will have the most powerful weapon in the world."

Leon took down two more guards with some well-placed shots from his Glock. Barry dropped the last guard with a shot from his magnum. The team moved past the dead guards to the door to the main lab. Carlos, Ark, Claire, and Hunk kept watch as the others walked up to the door.

"Get ready people." Chris said. He was about to open the door when a loud voice boomed throughout the halls. 

"This facility is currently under attack. All personnel except security personnel immediately evacuate the facility."

"They're getting everyone out." Claire said. "Maybe they're getting ready to blow this joint?"

"If that's the case then things can't get any worse." Jill said. Suddenly a scream came from inside the lab. "I spoke too soon."

"What the hell was that?" Barry asked.

"Do you want to know?" Leon replied.

"Whatever it is it can't be pretty." Jill said.

Chris hit the button next to the door. The door slid open revealing a small lab area. There were tables scattered around loaded with microscopes, beakers, test tubes, and other lab equipment. Cabinets filled with chemicals and supplies lined most of the walls. A door across the room from the team had "Inner Lab Area" written on a plague beside it. A door on the right wall that led to a supply closet lay open. The team cautiously entered and spread out.

"Where do you think that scream came from?" Claire asked.

"What did that scream come from?" Leon replied.

Rebecca glanced around. "Maybe there are some monsters loose in here?"

"Don't get jittery on me." Chris said. "Whatever it is we can handle it." As soon as he said that the Tyrant exited the supply closet, its one fist bloody. "Except maybe that."

Barry stared at the Tyrant. "That's a new one."

"They all look the same to me." Ark said. "What's that thing supposed to do, club us to death?"

"Exactly." Claire said. "I fought one like this on Rockfort. I killed it too. Off coarse I did send it out the back of a place with a bomb."

"I suppose those grenades of yours won't stop this thing." Jill said to Hunk. 

Hunk shook his head. "They would just piss it off."

"Then we'll have to do this the old fashion way." Chris said. "Aim for the head, we may be able to drop it that way."

The team spread out and began to fire at the Tyrant. The creature seemed unaffected by the bullets. It looked around for a target. It focused on Barry, who was firing off his magnum. It started to approach, ignoring the others. Barry ran out of bullets and popped open the chamber. He saw the creature coming at him and ran behind one of the tables, putting it between himself and the Tyrant. The Tyrant stopped at the table and raised its arm. In one quick downward motion it smashed the table into pieces. Barry finished reloading and pumped four slugs into the monster's chest. The Tyrant lifted its arm and prepared to crush Barry. He dove to the side just as the monster's fist crashed into the spot he was just standing. Barry scramble to his feet as the creature turned to him. Chris and Jill ran up behind the Tyrant and fired their shotguns into the Tyrant at point-blank range. The creature turned and marched towards them. The pair found themselves backed up against one of the cabinets. The Tyrant lunged forward with a punch. Chris dove to the left while Jill dove to the left. The Tyrant's fist crashed into the cabinet. It roared and pulled back its fist, which was smoking as various chemicals ate at the tissue of its hand. It turned to Chris, who was just getting up. He looked up to see the monster closing on him. 

Suddenly a microscope slammed into the side of the Tyrant's head. "OVER HERE!" Claire called. She, Leon, and Carlos opened up with their assault rifles while Ark fired off his Glocks. The Tyrant began to approach the group.

Hunk slapped a fresh clip into his MP5. "Damn, this thing won't go down. It should have dropped by now."

"If we could incapacitate it taking it down would be much easier." Barry said.

"You mean like blinding it?" Rebecca asked. "I have an idea." She opened the cabinet behind her and began searching through the bottles.

"What are you doing?" Barry asked.

Rebecca found a bottle of hydrochloric acid. "Incapacitating it." She said. She hurled the bottle at the Tyrant's face. The monster roared in pain as the strong acid ate at its flesh and eyes. It swung its arms around wildly, unable to see.

"ALL RIGHT BECKY!" Jill yelled.

"Nice one." Ark said.

Rebecca grabbed another bottle of acid and threw it at the Tyrant in the chest. She continued to hurl bottles at the beast, the chemicals burning through the monster's skin. The Tyrant thrashed wildly and dropped to its knees. Most of the skin on its face has come off, showing bone.

"Blast it." Chris ordered.

The team fired at the Tyrant, hitting it in the head. It a rage it bolted in Rebecca's direction. She moved out of the way just in time to avoid the monster's charge. It crashed into the cabinet, causing more chemicals to rain down on it. It spun around and roared as the chemicals burned its body. Jill saw that the acid Rebecca had thrown at the Tyrant's chest had partially exposed its heart.

"Claire," Jill said, "aim for its heart."

Claire aimed her .22 rifle at the creature's heart and fired off three rounds. The Tyrant jerked with each shot and fell forward. "Got it." Claire said.

"Finish it off." Chris said.

Carlos and Barry walked up to the Tyrant's silent form and unloaded their magnums into the back of its skull, killing it for good.

Carlos walked over to Rebecca. "Great idea Becky. You really messed it up good."

"It was nothing." Rebecca said, beaming.

"That took a lot of guts." Claire said.

"I'd say." Barry said. "I would never think of doing something like that."

Jill looked down at the dead Tyrant. "I can't believe we beat this thing without some heavy explosives."

"This should go down as one of our greatest victories." Leon said.

Chris loaded his shotgun and headed for the inner lab. "Don't start celebrating yet. We still have to get that virus."

Fell held the case close to him. The sounds of combat had ended and now the room was filled with silence. "They killed it." He said to himself. "They are dangerous. I shouldn't have underestimated them." He crouched behind one of the tables and gripped a Glock.

The team entered the lab and spread out. "Where is everyone?" Claire asked. "Shouldn't this place be full of people?"

"They must have evacuated the plant." Barry replied.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Jill said. "I feel like we're being watched."

Fell sprang up and aimed at Jill. "Right you are my dear. So this must be all of you. I see you managed to get past my Tyrant. I'm beginning to see why the higher ups want you dead."

"Give us the virus." Chris said. "It's over."

"Why should I do that?" Fell asked.

Chris pumped the shotgun. "Because if you do you'll get out of this alive. We're not going to let you make any more of your weapons."

Fell turned to Hunk. "You traitor. You could you turn your back on this company. You could have been rich."

"After what happened in Raccoon I'm, through with this company." Hunk replied. "I'm not going to let you cause anymore death."

"I can't let you take this virus." Fell said. "And if you try, you will die." At that moment several other guards emerged from behind the tables and machines. "KILL THEM!" Fell roared.

The lab erupted into a massive shootout. Both sides fired at they dove for cover. Three guards dropped as they were hit in the head. Carlos caught a bullet in his left shoulder and was knocked to the ground.

"CARLOS!" Rebecca yelled. She quickly crawled to him and looked at his shoulder. "How bad is it?"

"I think the bullet hit the bone." Carlos replied through gritted teeth. "It hurts like hell."

Rebecca took out some medical supplies and tried to patch up the wound. "Don't move, I'll fix this."

"MAN DOWN!" Barry roared over the gunfire.

"TAKE THEM OUT!" Chris shouted back. The group quickly finished off the rest of the guards. Jill took out two men, Barry got another, and Ark blasted two more. Chris saw Fell run for the side door. He fired several rounds at Fell, missing every time. "Shit."

"What do we do about Carlos?" Claire asked.

Carlos was leaning against one of the tables. Rebecca was going her best to stop the bleeding. Jill, Leon, and Barry were crouched around him. "I'm OK Chris. It's just a scratch."

Carlos tried to get up, but Jill held him down. "Don't even move." She turned to Chris. "He can't go on."

Chris looked back to the door and then down at Carlos. "Barry, get Carlos back to the boat."

Barry nodded. "We'll be waiting at the docks."

"Jill, Claire, Leon, Hunk, come with me." Chris said. "We need to stop Fell before he gets away."

"Be careful." Ark said. "We'll see you soon."

"Count on it." Leon replied.

Chris' group ran after Fell while Barry and the others helped Carlos out of the lab.

Author's Comments: The team may have beaten the Tyrant, but Fell got away with the virus and Carlos is hurt. Things just keep getting worse. At least Umbrella is scared of our heroes. You can also see why. Taking down a Tyrant without a rocket launcher. If being able to say that wouldn't intimidate anyone, I don't know what would. 

In the final chapter the chase is on. Chris and his little party have to hunt down Fell and stop him from getting away with the virus. However, Fell won't make it that easy for the team. Plus, can Barry and his group get Carlos to safety? And what about the facility? Find out all the answers to these questions in the finale of Cause Be the Carrier: Chapter Six- High Tide.


	6. High Tide

            Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does. The only thing I do own is this story.

Cause Be the Carrier 

(Book one of the Redemption series)

Chapter Six- High Tide 

By: Striker

Fell ran down the halls holding the case in one hand and his gun in the other. Chris and his party followed close behind. Fell turned and fired off a few shots before continuing down the hall. Chris' group took cover to avoid getting shot.

"I'm going to enjoy kicking his ass." Claire spat.

"Get in line." Chris said.

"He's heading for the marina." Hunk said. "He's planning on escaping by sea. We have to prevent him from getting into open water."

Suddenly several bullets zinged off the wall inches from Leon's head. "What the fuck?" Leon turned to see several guards bearing down on the group from behind.

"More guards." Jill groans. "We don't have time to deal with these guys."

Claire readied her assault rifle. "You guys go on. Leon and I can take them."

Leon nodded in agreement. "Get Fell. These guys are ours."

"Take care of yourselves." Chris said. He, Jill, and Hunk continued their pursuit as Claire and Leon began to fire on the guards.

Fell entered the marina. The area was huge, extending up into the second level. Catwalks ran over the whole floor. At one end was the control room for the marina doors which was vacant. From the main floor four docks jutted into the water. Several boats were anchored to the docks. Several stacks of crates, forklifts, and other stuff littered the docks. Fell ran to one of the motorboats marooned to the left side of one of the docks and jumped in. He hit a button on a small remote fixed to the dashboard. The giant marina door slowly opened like a garage door, the large pistons pushing the rock-encrusted steel up and out. Fell set down the case and started the engine. "All I have to do is get to Miami and I'll be set."

"Hold it right there." Fell turned to see Chris, Jill, and Hunk with guns aimed at him. "Get out of the boat." Chris ordered. "Now."

Fell acknowledged and got out of his boat. "What are you going to do? Shoot me? I don't believe that you will."

"We're not going to kill you." Jill answered. "We're taking you in. Soon everyone's going to know what Umbrella has been up to. You're going to jail for a long time."

Chris and Hunk began to walk towards Fell. "Put down your gun." Chris said.

Fell slowly drew his gun and set it down at his feet. Chris and Hunk lowered their weapons and prepared to grab his arms. Without warning Fell kicked Chris in the groin. Chris gasped as his knees buckled. Hunk looked at Chris drop in shock and turned back to Fell. Fell blasted Hunk with a left cross and a right to the gut. Hunk dropped his MP5, which Fell kicked into the water. Fell then kneed Hunk in the stomach and threw him forcefully into a stack of crates. He scoped up and fired at Jill, who ducked behind the same group of crates. He turned his attention to Hunk.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance." Fell said. "Now you will die traitor." He aimed his gun at Hunk and started to squeeze the trigger.

Chris lunged at Fell and threw off his aim. The gun fired, the bullet just missing Hunk's head. "You're not taking anyone down." Chris sneered, hitting Fell with a right hook to the face. Chris then began to deliver stiff left punches to Fell's stomach. Fell swung his pistol at Chris and hit him in the head. Chris staggered to the edge of the dock. Fell back fisted Chris into the water and fired several shots after him. Chris took a deep breath before he hit the water and went under. The bullets glided past him, one grazing his right bicep. The wound began to bleed slightly, sending a red streak to the surface. He opened his eyes, the saltwater stinging. He looked up to see Fell looking down at him. He then turned his attention to the ground. He spotted a length of rope that was knotted at one end. He swam down and grabbed it and looked back up at the surface. When he saw Fell turn he headed back up.

Fell saw the blood and smiled. "So much for him." Fell said.

"YOU BASTARD!" Jill yelled, rushing Fell. He turned just in time to see Jill bringing the butt of her shotgun into his face. She struck him a fierce blow that knocked him back and making him drop his gun. He swung back, nailing her in her face. She staggered back and brought her hand up to her nose, which had begun to bleed. She tried to hit him with the shotgun a second time, but he grabbed the gun and kicked her in the stomach. He then brought the butt across the back of her head. Jill fell forward on her hands and knees.

Hunk tried to get up. "Don't even bother." Fell said, holding the shotgun up to the side of Jill's head. "After I kill you two I'll escape this place and be rewarded for not only eliminating you and your two friends but for saving the virus myself."

Chris burst out from under the water and whipped the knotted end of the rope at Fell's feet. The waterlogged rope wrapped around Fell's legs. Chris then pulled back on the rope and pulled Fell's legs out from under him. Fell fell forward, the shotgun bouncing out of his hands. "Don't you know you can't kill me." Chris hauled himself out of the water and checked on Jill. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Jill replied, holding the back of her head. "Despite the fact that I have a splitting headache."

Hunk took the shotgun and leveled it at Fell's head. "Looks like you lost." All of the sudden several guards burst out of one of the doors and ran at the dock firing. "We got company." Hunk said. He, Chris, and Jill took cover behind the crates. Fell took the opportunity and freed his legs from the rope. He grabbed his gun and jumped into his boat. "Shit." Hunk said as Fell raced away.

"Now what are we going to do?" Jill asked.

The guards moved in on Chris, Jill, and Hunk. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Claire yelled, firing off several rounds. She and Leon caught the guards by surprise and took them all out. Claire turned to see Fell zooming away. She ran over to her brother. "Fell's getting away."

"I'm aware of that." Chris said.

Claire saw the wound on Chris' arm. "You're shot."

"It's nothing." Chris replied. "We have to after him."

Hunk saw another motorboat and ran to it. He jumped in and started the motor. "Come on, we have to get him."

Chris turned to Jill, who was still woozy. "Claire, Leon, take Jill back up to Barry. Hunk and I are going after Fell."

Leon handed Chris his assault rifle and Glock. "You may need these."

"Thanks." Chris said. He jumped into the motorboat and Hunk tore off after Fell.

"Good luck Chris." Jill said groggily.

"Come on, we better get moving." Claire said. She, Leon, and Jill left the marina.

The boats raced through the sea. The sky had gotten brighter as the sun began to rise. Hunk kept close to Fell's boat. Chris stood up and fired several shots from his Glock. Fell returned fired with his Glock, forcing Chris down.

"WE HAVE TO GET CLOSER!" Chris yelled.

"I'LL TRY!" Hunk yelled back. He pushed the throttle and closed in on Fell. Fell fired several shots at Hunk's boat. Chris returned fire, hitting the rear of the boat several times. Hunk managed to pull his boat parallel with Fell's. Fell veered sharply at Hunk, forcing him to slow and evade. "DAMN!" Hunk yelled. He gunned the engine and continued the chase.

Claire and the other two ran down to the docks where Barry had the boat waiting. "Where are Chris and Hunk?" Barry asked.

"They chased after Fell." Claire replied. "How's Carlos doing?"

"Fine." Barry said. "He's in the cabin. Rebecca stopped the bleeding."

"Where are they headed?" Ark called from the bridge.

Leon pointed off towards the distance. "That way I think."

Jill climbed on board and almost fell down, catching herself on the wall of the cabin. "Fell said something about going to Miami. That's the way we have to go."

Barry turned to Ark. "You heard the lady. Let's get going. Claire, lead Jill to the bow so she can sit down."

Suddenly a female voice came from the facility. "THIS FACILITY WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN FIVE MINUTES. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."

"I think we should go right now." Ark said. He punched the throttle and sped off away from the island.

The two motorboats flew past several small islands. Hunk moved in closer so Chris could get a clear shot, pulling up along the right side of Fell's boat. Chris aimed the assault rifle and fired at Fell's boat. Fell returned fire and hit Chris, the bullet leaving a gash in his left side. Chris grabbed his wound and fell back.

"YOU OK?" Hunk asked.

"I'M FINE!" Chris replied.

The two boats passed to the left of an island. Hunk veered into Fell's boat and hit it hard. Fell lost control and headed straight for the beach. The boat skidded across the rocky beach and slammed into a large rock. Fell smacked his head off the wheel and fell back into his seat dazed. He quickly regained his senses and grabbed the case. He took out one of the vials and jumped from his boat, which had caught fire. Hunk pulled up on the beach and jumped out. He began to run after Fell. Fell heard his footsteps and began to turn. Hunk tackled him, sending Fell sprawling forward. The vial and gun popped out of his hands. The vial shattered on a rock, the virus spilling onto the ground.

"No." Fell said.

"So much for your virus." Hunk said.

Fell grabbed a rock and waited until Hunk bent over to pick him up. He spun around and clocked Hunk in the head. Hunk staggered back. Blood began to seep from a cut on his temple.

"You ruined everything." Fell said. He swung at Hunk with a right hook. Hunk ducked the punch and hit Fell with a jab to the gut. Hunk then grabbed Fell's hair and elbowed him in the face.

"You're not delivering that virus to your boss." Hunk said. "I made a promise to myself that I would never let Umbrella do what they did to Raccoon City."

"Then you'll die like your friends." Fell growled. He came with a lab, but Hunk grabbed Fell's arm and flipped him over his shoulder. Fell crashed to the ground and rolled over. Hunk moved in, but Fell lunged forward and tackled Hunk. Fell got up and kicked Hunk in the side. "You're pathetic. I heard that you were one of the best. What did you turn on us?" He kicked Hunk again.

"Because I came to my senses." Hunk said. Fell went to kick him again, but Hunk rolled out of the way. He then came back with a kick to Fell's right knee. As Fell yelped in surprise and pain Hunk got to his feet. He delivered a spin kick to Fell, knocking him down. "Now give up."

Fell saw his gun lying in front of him. He grabbed a handful of small stones and threw them at Hunk. As Hunk shielded himself Fell grabbed his gun and got to his feet. "Now you die." Fell said, aiming at Hunk.

A gunshot rang out through the morning air. Fell fell forward, a bullet wound in his head. Hunk turned around to see Chris standing next to the boat, holding his side with one hand and his Glock in the other. "Now we're even." Chris said.

Hunk ran over to Chris. "Are you OK?"

"I've had better." Chris said. "What about the virus Fell had?"

"He dropped it." hunk said. "The vial shattered. Hopefully the virus won't get into the water."

Chris shook his head. "It's not enough to do any harm. Besides, the saltwater may kill the virus. Where's the case Fell had?"

"In the boat." Hunk said. No sooner had he said that than the boat exploded. "I should say it was in the boat."

Chris heard the sound of a boat approaching. He turned to see the fishing boat approach. "Looks like the others have arrived." The two men walked towards the boat. How'd you find us?" Chris asked.

"We saw the smoke and knew it was probably you." Claire replied. She saw Chris holding his side. "Jesus, you got hurt again?"

Chris nodded. He and Chris got to the boat and were helped on board. Ark pulled away from the shore and began to drive away.

"Did you get the virus?" Barry asked.

"Fell dropped one vial on the beach and the other vials went up in his boat." Hunk said.

Rebecca came out of the cabin. "The salt in the seawater should kill off the virus." She saw the men's wounds. "I better fix you to up."

Leon looked down from the bridge. "I don't know about you guys, but I need another vacation."

Chris chuckled as he entered the cabin. Carlos was sitting in one of the seats, his shoulder heavily bandaged. "I see you got hit too."

"At least we're all alive." Chris said. He sat down and Rebecca patched up his wounds.

The boat glided into the marina. Roy and the children came out of the building and welcomed the heroes back.

"I missed you so much." Sherry said, hugging Claire.

"I missed you too." Claire replied.

Ark gave Lott and Lily each a hug. "I hope you two behaved yourselves while I was gone."

"We did." Lott said.

"I knew you would come back." Lily said.

Roy patted Leon on the shoulder. "So I take it that your mission was a success."

Leon laughed. "It sure was. Got the bad guys, destroyed the virus, saved the world."

"That reminds me." Chris said. "We better tell the authorities where that lab is."

"There's one slight problem." Jill said. "Before we left the self-destruct device went off. The building went up shortly after we left."

Hunk sighed. "Umbrella covering their tracks again."

"So I take it you guys have nothing?" Roy asked.

"Ditto." Leon replied.

"At least we beat Umbrella again." Rebecca said, helping Carlos from the boat. "That has to say something."

Carlos nodded. "Besides, there's always next time."

Chris agreed. "Yeah, next time we'll get proof. But until then we better get back to the hotel and get out of the city. Umbrella's still out there, and we have to stop them."

Author's Comments: Another great ending to another great story. The team beat Fell and got rid of the Z-virus. Too bad all the proof got destroyed. Well, this is the end of the first story in the Redemption series. Expect the action to continue in the next parts. Until then check out my other stories. See ya.

Previews:

Short Stories:

1. Dinner and A Movie- Sequel to Life's A Beach- The group gather at Chris and Jill's place to have dinner and see a few flicks. But how can you watch a movie went the audience refuses to be quiet?

2. A Night At Home- Romance is in the air as each couple spends o night together. Plenty of things will happen on this magical night.

Series:

1.War Games- The survivors have joined forces to battle Umbrella. However, there are other groups that want to dethrone Umbrella. What ensues is a battle royal where only one can survive. Let the games begin. (Composed of six books.)

Multi-chapter stories:

1. Harbinger- (Book one of the War Games series.) The survivors assault an Umbrella lab. Things go smoothly until people from a new company assault the same lab. Who are they, and more importantly, what do they want?

Previous Stories:

1. If My Heart Had Wings.

2. Mall Madness.

3. Resident Evil- Armageddon:

1. Part I Prelude to Destruction 

2. Part II Hands Of Fate 

3. Part III Gaining Strength 

4. Part IV Unexpected Alliance 

5. Part V Countdown to Doomsday 

6. Part VI Armageddon 

4. Life's A Beach.

5. Judgment Day.


End file.
